In view of US President Donald Trump’s harsh threats against Iran, several Democrats are calling for the Republican to be removed from office.
According to research by the Wall Street Journal, by early afternoon (local time) there were more than two dozen members of Congress.
According to the news portal “Axios”, such demands from Democrats reached their climax after Trump threatened Iran again in a particularly drastic manner hours before the end of his ultimatum: “An entire civilization will perish tonight, never to return,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Which lever Democrats point to
In addition to regular impeachment proceedings in Congress, there is theoretically a quicker way to strip Trump of his presidency, which several Democrats are now explicitly referring to: Amendment 25 to the Constitution. Section four of this allows the president to be declared incapable of “exercising the rights and duties of the office.”
However, the section has never been applied – the hurdles for this are very high. JD Vance as Vice President and a majority of key Cabinet members would be required to submit a statement in writing to the leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives. But Trump could object as president.
Vance and relevant ministers could then overrule him. Then it would be Congress’s turn – and until a decision by Parliament, the Vice President would be acting President. Congress would have 21 days to vote. In order to impeach the president, a two-thirds majority would be required in both chambers.
Democrats would therefore have to rely on greater support from Republicans in Congress – as well as in Trump’s own cabinet. There were initially no public signs that this could form. Trump relied on loyal followers when putting together his cabinet.
How the White House reacts
“This is ridiculous,” “Axios” quoted a White House spokesman as reacting. Democrats were already talking about wanting to remove Trump from office before he was even sworn in.
USA reports Iranian hacker attack on infrastructure
Hackers with ties to Iran are carrying out cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in the United States, according to the US IT Security Agency. The responsible authority, CISA, said the groups specifically attacked industrial facilities that could be accessed via the Internet. Accordingly, government authorities as well as systems in the water supply and energy sectors are affected.
As a result, incorrect data is often displayed on user interfaces. There will be disruptions and financial damage. Further details on the extent were initially not known.
Just a week and a half ago, the director of the US Federal Police Agency, FBI, Kash Patel, was the victim of a hacker attack, according to media reports. A group with connections to Iran claimed responsibility for the cyber attack, wrote the New York Times, among others. The US State Department offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification of the Iranian hacking team.
Iran: Millions of people ready for military service
According to Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, around 14.4 million Iranians are said to have registered for voluntary military service. Ghalibaf published the number on the X platform. The campaign is called “Sacrifice Lives”. The information cannot currently be independently verified. Around 90 million people live in Iran.
According to the state broadcaster Irib, the volunteers will be deployed in addition to the Revolutionary Guard and the army in the conflict with the USA and Israel. Human chains are also planned to protect possible targets.
The Tasnim news agency published footage of a human chain on the Sefid Bridge in the southwestern city of Ahvas, which could be the target of attacks.
According to Irib, those registered include President Massud Peseschkian, most of his ministers as well as numerous officials, athletes and artists. The currently influential speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has also registered.
Especially after US President Donald Trump’s ultimatum, the high number of volunteers is a sign of national unity and defense readiness, according to the Irib report. Trump is demanding that Iran lift the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which is important for global energy trade. Otherwise, Trump threatens to attack power plants and bridges.
Trump on Iran: ‘Entire civilization will perish tonight’
Hours before the end of his ultimatum, US President Donald Trump once again addressed a harsh threat to Iran. “An entire civilization will perish tonight, never to return,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. He doesn’t want that to happen, but it will probably happen.
In his post, however, Trump also reiterated his well-known claim that “regime change” had already taken place in Iran
– and now you do it with other, “smarter and less radicalized” people
people have to do. Maybe “something revolutionary and wonderful could happen,” he wrote – and added: “WHO KNOWS THAT?”
We’ll find out tonight. Trump, who is known for not skimping on superlatives, spoke of one of the “most important moments in the long and complex history of the world.” He stressed that decades of extortion, corruption and death brought about by Iran were coming to an end. “God bless the great people of Iran!”.
What Trump specifically threatens
The day before, on the one hand, he had spoken of good negotiations with Iran and, on the other hand, threatened the country with military escalation if it did not give in. If this happens, Trump threatened to quickly destroy all bridges and power plants. He said the US could bring about “utter destruction” within four hours. “The entire country can be wiped out in one night, and that could be as early as tomorrow night.” The deadline he set for Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz expires at 2 a.m. on Wednesday night according to German time.
According to the US media, in a telephone interview with Fox News, Trump confirmed that unless Tehran gives in in time, there will be massive attacks on Iran. If diplomatic efforts progress today and something concrete comes out of it, that could change.
UN High Commissioner: Trump’s threat against Iran ‘disgusting’
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, warns of serious violations of international law following the latest US threats against Iran. He particularly condemns the threats to wipe out an entire civilization and attack civilian infrastructure, said the Austrian UN diplomat in Geneva. “That’s disgusting,” he said after US President Donald Trump made similar statements.
The implementation of such threats amounts to the most serious crimes under international law, Türk warned in his statement, without explicitly naming the US head of state. However, the high commissioner did not only criticize Trump. He condemned “the flood of inflammatory rhetoric” from all warring parties that has been heard in the conflict in recent weeks.
Türk called for an immediate stop to threats against civilians. He called for international efforts to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East.
Iran: Internet blackout until the end of the war
Iran’s government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani has initially ruled out free access to the global Internet for the population. She said on state television Irib that the government’s goal is to ensure free internet access, but other considerations apply in war.
This is the longest continuous internet shutdown in the country’s history. Since February 28, the 90 million Iranians have only had access to a restricted internal intranet, which only contains government-approved content. In contrast, a small part of the military and power apparatus continues to use the Internet without restrictions. Iranian media also publish their news on Telegram and X, which are actually blocked.
As a result of the lockdown, online trading has almost completely collapsed. Hundreds of thousands of companies are affected. Many retailers rely on social networks like Instagram to promote products and services.
Iran threatens to attack Israeli gas fields
The secret service of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards is threatening attacks on the two Israeli natural gas fields Karish and Tanin. Three other attack targets are pixelated in a published recording. The secret service writes about the photo on
Trump is threatening Iran with attacks on power plants and bridges and “obliteration” if the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz is not lifted by 2 a.m. CEST.
TEHRAN/WASHINGTON/GENEVA (dpa-AFX)
